Whether they’re coming to your home for a short stay or need to remain for a longer time, elderly people can use a few adjustments to their accommodations to help them remain safe and comfortable.
While younger folks can easily maneuver obstacles, reach items, and negotiate stairs, older people need a bit more assistance. Here are several helpful tips on how to prepare your home for an elderly guest so that they have a more agreeable and secure stay.
Declutter
Decluttering doesn’t just take barriers and stumbling hazards out of the way of your senior citizen guests; it will leave your home cleaner and give you a new and brighter outlook besides! Look around your home. What needs to stay and what must go? Throw out trash regularly and ensure it never gathers around the bottoms of the bins. Get rid of broken-down and unused items, furniture, and devices, and store things that are just taking up floor space. Decluttering clears a path through your home and helps older individuals move around without risking falls or stumbles. And it leaves possibilities open for redecoration as well!
Make a Safer Bedroom
Older people have extremely specific needs regarding their sleep habits and bedrooms. Prepare the bedroom for your elderly guest, knowing that someone who has a more challenging time getting up and around will occupy it. When considering how to prepare your home for an elderly guest, make sure the bed allows them to put their feet flat on the floor. Don’t add small rugs—they’re trip hazards, even with nonslip strips. A large and plush area rug is better and provides extra protection against injury from falls. Lots of light is always good, but make sure they can easily turn lamps on and off.
Stairwells
If an elderly individual is still relatively mobile, ensure your stairs have banisters on either side that they can grip and hold onto as they ascend. If their vision isn’t what it used to be, mark each step with high-contrast and anti-slip tape that gives them a better view of the steps while also providing more purchase. Remove carpet runners that can trip them up as they ascend or descend. If they can’t negotiate the stairs anymore and intend to stay with you for a longer time, a stair lift might be in order.
Modify Your Bathroom
Statistically speaking, the bathroom is notorious for being one of the more dangerous rooms in the house. Once again, falls are a big hazard, compounded by the hardness of the tub, toilet, and tiled walls. Add safety rails to the walls beside the toilet and in the tub and shower so they can get up and down and in and out more easily. A shower bench is a great and considerate addition for those who have trouble standing for prolonged periods of time and helps prevent slips and falls as well. Finally, nonslip mats are a necessity and remove the danger of slipping once more.
